Stinson V-77 Reliant UC-81/AT-19

The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio in 1920 by aviator Eddie Stinson; nine years after he learned to fly with the Wright Brothers. Five years later, Stinson moved the company to Detroit, Michigan. Over the next three decades, more than 13,000 aircraft would carry the Stinson brand. Developed as a civilian sports and executive aircraft in the mid-1930s, the Stinson Reliant was popular in the private and commercial market in the U.S. and overseas. The Stinson’s steel tubing and aluminum-faired airframe are fabric-covered. In 1936, a new, higher lift wing was fitted and the new series became known as “gull-wing” Reliants. The Stinson Reliant SR-10, introduced in 1938, was considered the ultimate; featuring leather upholstery, walnut instrument panels, and automobile-style roll-down windows.

Reliant production can be broken into two distinct types – the straight-wing Reliants (all models up to SR-6) and the gull-wing Reliants (all models from SR-7 and after, including the militarized V-77/ AT-19), with there being little in common between the two groups of types. The straight-wing Reliant has a wing of constant chord and thickness which is supported by two struts on each side with additional bracing struts. In contrast, the taper-wing Reliant has the broadest chord and thickness of the wing at mid-span, with the outer wing trailing edge heavily angled forward and a rounded cutout on the leading edge root, all supported by a single strut. The taper wing has a significant step up between the fuselage and the wing, and the changes in wing thickness gave it a distinct gull appearance from the front.

When America entered World War II, production of civilian Reliants ended and some were impressed into the U.S. Army Air Corps as UC-81 utility transports. The new military design, based on the SR-10 civilian airframe, had a 300 hp Lycoming R-680-13 radial engine, a single door on the left side, and a simpler smooth cowl. With a maximum speed of 145 mph and cruise speed of 130 mph, it had a range of 644 miles. Also, the internal structure was beefed up significantly over the commercial models. It was given the Stinson company number V77 (Stinson having become a subsidiary of Vultee in October 1939, thus the V designation).

In July of 1942, under the Lend-Lease program, England placed an order with Stinson for 500 Reliants to be built at their factory in Detroit, Michigan. Designated the AT-19 by the USAAC, the British simply called it the Reliant I. They were to be used exclusively as instrument trainers, photo-reconnaissance, light transport, and communication duties by the Royal Navy. Many of the Reliant Mk. I’s made numerous flights over the English Channel looking for German U-boats. Most of the British Reliants were assigned to the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) instead of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Reliant I (AT-19) was a five-seat transport, very little changed from the civilian SR-10 model. The Reliant II (AT-19A) was the first purpose-built instrument and navigation trainer, with only three seats. The Reliant III (AT-19B) was an observation and aerial photographic survey version, and the Reliant IV (AT-19C) was a cargo-only version. Of the 478 AT-19s delivered to the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (249 from the first contract and 229 from the second contract), 47 were lost at sea, 79 were lost in accidents and 352 were left in inventory at the end of the war.

As part of the terms of Lend-Lease, the assets had to be paid for or returned to the USA upon the cessation of hostilities. Therefore, following the end of WWII, 415 surviving planes were disassembled, crated, and placed on cargo ships or aircraft carriers and returned to the United States via Newark, New Jersey, or Norfolk, Virginia. They were then given Bureau of Aeronautics numbers with the U.S. Navy but never saw active service again. Instead, the War Assets Administration put them up for disposal at Chambers Field, NAS Norfolk, Virginia for the princely sum of $2,000 – quite a significant price considering that you could buy a P-51 Mustang for less. Interestingly, no one could buy the aircraft as a “war surplus” as the AT-19 had never received civilian certification. Consolidated Vultee recognized a quick profit to be had, buying up as many of the Reliants as it could, and re-certifying them as the V-77 Reliant so that they could be licensed for ownership and use. Essentially all this entailed was the removal of all military equipment, a quick tidy-up, and a repaint. Vultee issued all the V-77s with new log books and a 1946 manufacture date. Their rugged construction and large cargo cabin capacity made them popular as “bush” planes in Canada and Alaska; many mounted on floats. In 1960, a Canadian model called the Bushman, reentered production with all wood and fabric of the original design replaced by metal. Recent counts show over 100 V-77 models still flying in the United States, plus many pre-war production Reliants.!